“Take them!” Latvian hockey player wants to return gold medals won with the USSR national team 0 8

Former goalkeeper of the USSR national team and goalkeeping coach of the Latvian national team Arturs Irbe expressed his readiness to return the gold medals from the world championships that he won as part of the Soviet team. His words were reported by the newspaper Iltalehti.

“I don’t need to keep these medals. I will return the medals if I remember where they are. I don’t keep them with pride,” he stated.

In May 2025, Irbe promised to boycott the 2026 Olympic Games if the Russian team is allowed to compete. He added that he does not plan to impose his opinion on other members of the Latvian national team.

Arturs Irbe is a two-time world champion with the USSR national team, winning titles as a goalkeeper in 1989 and 1990. He played for Dynamo Riga as well as several teams in the National Hockey League.